The Most Famous People Linda Thompson Ever Dated

Actress and songwriter Linda Thompson has a long list of impressive credits to her name, having penned hits for everyone from Whitney Houston to the Backstreet Boys across her decades-long career. However, her songwriting chops are just part of Thompson's story; her relationship history includes multiple celebrities with their own claims to fame, and those past loves are a major focus in Thompson's 2016 memoir, "A Little Thing Called Life." 

One of the relationships Thompson details in her book is her 1991 marriage to producer David Foster, which saw the two combine forces both personally and professionally for over a decade. Although Foster has six kids from other relationships, the couple did not have any children together and divorced in 2005. 

Being married to a famous record producer is certainly noteworthy, but Foster isn't the only famous person in Thompson's romantic past. Here, we'll delve into the history of Thompson's relationships with the most famous people she ever dated. 

Before marrying David Foster in 1991, Linda Thompson was linked to Olympic decathlete Caitlyn Jenner. The two wed in Hawaii in 1981 and went on to have two sons together before calling it quits in 1986. In 2016, Thompson revealed details about her complicated history with Jenner in an interview with ET. She described how their marriage came to an end after Jenner first revealed that she was transgender: "We pretended that we were still together, and we were to an extent. But after about six months I realized this is what she needed to do, who she authentically was, and I need to move on with my life." 

However, just a few short years after their divorce, Jenner moved on to a new relationship while still presenting as a male. As Thompson explained, she was initially happy when her ex married mega-famous girl mom Kris Jenner, but later realized that there was more going on under the surface in Jenner's life: "In my naivety and my ignorance, I didn't know that she was still repressing who she was." 

Luckily for their two sons, it appears that the somewhat difficult nature of their past isn't enough to drive a permanent rift between Jenner and Thompson. In 2024, Thompson posted a series of photos on Instagram commemorating her granddaughter's first birthday. Jenner is present in several of the photos, standing alongside Thompson in support of their son Brody Jenner and his family. 

Around the same time as Elvis and Priscilla Presley's divorce in 1972, the singer officially welcomed a new leading lady into his life: then-twenty-two-year-old Linda Thompson. In an interview with Larry King (via Elvis Australia), Thompson described a wholesome call Elvis made to her home after they first met at a film premiere: "[Elvis] said 'I just want you to know how happy that I met you this evening, and, you know, I want to know where you've been and don't disappear on me. I want to see you again.'" As Thompson explained, the couple quickly built a very special connection that lasted for four years. 

Although their romance ended decades ago, Thompson clearly still has fond memories of her time with the King of Rock & Roll. As she explained in a TikTok video, some of the lyrics she included in the hit song "I Have Nothing" (sung by the one and only Whitney Houston) were inspired by her relationship with Elvis. 

In January 2024, Thompson even shared a touching Instagram tribute to her former beau on what would have been his 89th birthday, writing: "Difficult to fathom that Elvis would have been 89 years old today had he lived to see this birthday. I, along with the rest of the world, wish he had. I often feel as if he is my guardian angel watching over me, just as I watched over him in the 4 1/2 years we lived together." Given her choice to continue honoring him long after his death, it appears Presley had a profound impact on Thompson's life.